Portable conveyor



Nov. 12, 1957 l 'H. J. RALSTON 2,812,863

PORTABLE CoNvEYoR- Nov. 12, 1957 H. J. RALsToN 2,812,863

PORTABLE CONVEYOR Filed Aug. 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a F|E-2 [mem:

@'mau A@ United States Patent PORTABLE CONVEYOR Howard J. Ralston, West Milllin, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application August 18, 1954, Serial No. 450,576

4 Claims. (Cl. 212-71) This invention relates to a portable conveyor particularly for moving construction materials into van open hearth furnace during rebuilding, but capable of other application where similar handling problems are encountered.

After several months active steelmaking campaign an open hearth must be taken out of service and dismantled for removal of slag and other debris which accumulate in its slag pockets near the port ends, and for repairs such as replacement of brickwork. The most time consuming part of this operation is in rebuilding the massive walls and arches at the port ends of the furnace. In a 225 ton furnace more than 100,000 9-inch equivalent bricks, weighing approximately 900,000 pounds, are required for the two ends, although the actual brick count may be reduced by use of larger bricks. The rebuilding of the port ends begins at the slag pocket or pouring oor level and pro gresses upwardly toward the uptake roof. Masons work from a series of scaffold sections, a new section being added after each rise of approximately ve feet of construction.

An object of the present invention is to Yprovide a portable conveyor which can be mounted on the framework at the port end of a dismantled open hearth during rebuilding and can be used to transport construction materials such as bricks to convenient locations within the furnace enclosure.

A further object is to provide an improved portable conveyor which is statically balanced for convenient handling and storage.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of my conveyor installed on a partially rebuilt open hearth;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of my conveyor detached from the furnace and engaged by a Vcrane for transporting it.

Figures l and 2 show one of the port end portions of an open hearth which includes a structural steel framework 10, a refractory brick end wall 12 (shown torn away), side walls 13 and 14, and a bottom 16. The furnace has a gas uptake 17 and a pair of air uptakes 18 and 19 at opposite sides of the gas uptake. A slag pocket is located beneath these uptakes. When the furnace is rebuilt, bricks for the uptakes and slag pocket must be transported into the furnace enclosure through the open port end and lowered to where they are laid. Inasmuch as the furnace details can be of any standard or desired form, no further showing is deemed necessary.

The portable conveyor of my invention comprises an I-beam monorail Which is U-shaped in plan and has front and back leg portions 20 and 21 and a bight portion 22. The upper face of each leg portion carries a permanently attached outer suspension hook 23 and inner suspension Patented Nov. 12, 1957 ice hook 24there being four such hooks in all. The outer hooks 23 engage a horizontal overhead beam 10a of the framework 10 at the extreme end of the furnace, and the inner hooks 24 engage a horizontal channel 10b of the framework within the furnace. Preferably the hooks 23 are fixed to the beam 10 through a clamp ring 2S, a wedgeshaped key 26 and a pin 27 arranged as shown in Figure 2. The bight poriton 22 of the rail carries a counterweight 46 for a purpose hereinafter explained. An eye 28 is iixed to the top of this counterweight. A chain 29, which contains a turnbuckle 48, is connected at one end to this eye. The other end of the chain is removably hooked to a bracket 30 which is tixed to the framework 10 to furnish a fifth point of suspension for the conveyor. Whenthe conveyor is supported on a furnace in this fashion, the front leg portion 20 overlies the front air uptake 18 and the back leg portion 21 overlies the back air uptake 19, as shown in Figure 1. The bight portion 22 extends outwardly of the dismantled end wall 12.

An electrically operated travelling hoist 31 of any standard or desired construction is supported on the lower ange Vof the monorail 20, 21, 22. The hoist is adapted to pick up a load L, such as a bundle of bricks, which has been deposited outside the furnace enclosure under the bight portion 22 of the rail. Commonly a shop crane is available for bringing the load to this location. The hoist can be operated in either direction from the bight portion along the front or back leg portion 20 or 21 of the rail to carry the load within either the front or back portion of the furnace over either of the uptakes 18 or 19 and theV corresponding slag pocket beneath. Next the hoist can be operated to lower the load to any desired height.

The hoist is energized through an electric cable 32 which can be plugged into'any suitable outside receptacle and is connected to a junction box 33. The latter is fixed to a cross bar 34 which extends between the two leg portions 20 and 21 of the monorail. The hoist carries a tension reel 35. A second cable 36 extends from the junction box 33, around the tension reel 35, to the motive means of the hoist 31. The underside of the cross bar 34 carries a pair of curved smooth faced guide plates 37 separated by a gap 38. The second cable 36 extends through this gap, and whenever the hoist moves away from its centrally located load receiving position, the cable lies across one of the guide plates. A control cable 39 depends from the junction box 33 and carries a switch box 40 at its lower extremity. Operation of the hoist 31 is controlled by manipulation of switches mounted in this switch box. Inasmuch as appropriate electric circuits for operating travelling hoists of this type are well known, no detailed disclosure of the circuit is deemed necessary.

The upper face of the cross bar 34 carries two spaced apart lifting eyes 41 and 42. The counterweight 46 carries a third lifting eye 49 outwardly of the eye 28. Sling lines 43 are permanently connected at one end to the three lifting eyes and at the other end to a ring 50. When the conveyor is to be transported, the traveling hoist 31 is moved to its centrally located position on the bight portion 22 of the rail, the chain 29 is unhooked from the bracket 30, and the clamp ring 25 is disengaged from the beam 10a. The ring 50 at the ends of the sling lines 43 is engaged by a crane hook 44. Preferably a grating 45 extends across the bight portion of the rail to support workmen while performing these operations. The counterweight 46 balances the conveyor when it is picked up by the crane 44 with the hoist 31 in its centrally located position. The underside of the cross bar 34 carries a pair of depending legs 47 which are located between the center of gravity of the conveyor and the bight 22 as long as the hoist is in this position. Consequently the conveyor rests on the extremities of the leg portions 20 and 21 of its rail and the legs 47 when it is placed on a supporting oor, as for storage.

From the-,foregoing description itis seen, that. my Conveyor is. easily transportedA about and installed on a dismantled open hearth. The static, balance facilitates both handling by a crane and storage. When myfconveyor is installed as shown. in Figures, 1- and 2.y it aords a highly convenient means for moving materials into. the furnace enclosure.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent thatmodications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be. limited to the disclosure set forth. lbut only by the scope of the appended claims. Y

l claim:

l. A4 portable conveyor comprising a rail of U-shape in; plan having a bight portion and two leg portions, a plurality of hooks attached to the top of said railv and adapted'to, engage a support for removably mounting the conveyor thereon, an electrically operated travelling hoist mounted on said rail, a tension reel mounted on said hoist, a junction box xed with respect to said rail intermediate the leg portions thereof, an electric cable connected toL said hoist, passingaround said tension reel and connected to said junction box, a pair of spaced apart guide: plates extending across said rail, said cable passing between said guide plates and. being'adapted to lie across one, of them when said hoist moves along said rail away from the bight portion, and connections for supplying electric current to said cable via said junction box.

2.. A portable conveyor comprising a rail of U.shape in plan having a bight portion` and two leg portions, a pair of outer suspension hooks` and a pair of inner suspension hooks. attached to the topA of the respective leg portions of said rail, said outer suspension hooks being adapted to engage an outside beam of an open hearth furnace framework and said innertsuspension hooks to engageY an inside beam thereof for removably mounting the conveyor with the two. leg portions extending within the furnace above the respective air uptakes andthe bight portion outside the furnace, an electrically operated travelling Ihoist mounted on said rail and adapted to travel the length thereof, said hoist having a load receiving position on said bight portion, lifting means on the top of said rail, means for balancing the conveyor when lifted by said lifting means with said hoist in its load receiving position, a tension reel mounted on the hoist, a junction box xed with respect to, rail intermediate the leg portions thereof, an electric, cable, connected to said hoist, passing around' said tension reel and connected to said junction box, and connections for; supplying; electric curren-t to said junction box', said rail carrying a pair of spaced apart guide plates between which` said cable passes, said cable lying across one of sai'd guide plates when said hoist moves away from. its load. receiving position.

3. A conveyor as defined in claim 2 comprising depending legs iixed to said rail between the center of gravity and the bight portion.

4. A portable conveyor comprising a rail of U;shape in plan, having al bight portion and' two leg portions, atq

tachrnent means on said rail adapted to engage.y an overa head support for mounting the. conveyor thereon, an electrically operated traveling hoist mounted on said rail', a tension reel mounted` on said hoist, an electric cable connected to said hoist and passing around said tension reel, fixed means'` intermediate the leg portions of said rail to which said cable is connected, a pair of spaced apart guides extending across said rail, said cable passing between said guides and being adapted to lie across one of them when said hoist moves along said rail away from the bight portion, and an electric connection to said xed means for supplying electric current to said. cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 246,732 rDavy Sept. 6, 1881 489,003 Heidelberg c Jan. 3, 1893 657,547 Kamm Sept. 1l, 1900 1,323,575 Brahe Dec. 2, 1919 1,577,606 Bennington Mar. 23, 1926 2,006,871 Neuman` July 2, 1935 2,234,287 Sluyter Mar. ll, 1941 

